Fresh Beats: Drake does it again and again

Whether he’s lint rolling his pants while sitting courtside or airballing shots while warming up, there’s an inevitable Twittersphere cycle that’s just waiting to erupt at Drake’s next move.

One of the more recent examples of this was Drake’s emoji tattoo, which was met with a response of a collective sigh and eye rolling. The symbol was of the number six followed by the two hands clasped together emoji, which is interpreted to mean either a high five or two hands praying. The jury is still out on that one.

It turns out that the whole ordeal was (possibly) intended to hype the three singles Drake released last weekend, which feature the same symbol as the artwork. It’s either a sign of incredible dedication to his own work or just another sensationalized social media grab. We’ll let you decide.

Either way, here’s our take on the three singles released Saturday. It’s currently unclear if these are just spare songs or singles from Drake’s forthcoming “Views from the 6,” but he ended the announcement Tweet with “back to this album,” so regardless, it seems to be in the works.

“6 God”

4/5

The triplet release starts off with the most aggressive track by far. Drake comes out searing, putting people in their place and establishing his dominance in his realm. Immediately he says that he’s here to stay, he knows what he’s doing and anyone else is negligible. The 6 in this track’s name and Drake’s tattoo references Toronto’s area code, the domain he’s resided in for years.

The track doesn’t have a solid hook, which it severely needs, but it transitions through a few verses repeated for emphasis.

As the track calms down in the latter half, Drake lyrically leans back and announces that all of this is old news to him, and that his longevity is inevtiable. He repeats “I’m not new to this,” unimpressed by people spreading rumors about him and talking him down.

“How Bout Now”

3.5/5

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of half a million Drake fans copying the lines “Because I’m up right now / and you suck right now” onto their Twitter profiles. It’s not anything special, sure, but it’s the most blunt Drake thing that Drake has ever said. Egotistical, simple and direct, it’s the embodiment of Drake as a whole and will probably further polarize those who buy into Drake and those who can’t stand him.

Throughout the track, Drake spits about a girl who didn’t give him the time of day when he used to be a nobody. He knows he could be petty and harp on these instances, but instead he lets his success be the best revenge, “You thought the little effort you put in was enough / how about now?” It’s not exactly a groundbreaking theme for Drake, but he’s in his zone and the smooth flow of the song saves it from being redundant.

“Heat of the Moment”

3.5/5

And then there’s vulnerable Drake. The surprisngly long, six-minute “Heat of the Moment” pulls back the throttle so Drake can channel his inner Frank Ocean. The smooth raindrop backtrack couples well with the modulated vocals of Drake, who shows his singing prowess on this track. It’s a dangerous move to make when Drake is known so well for his biting, distinctive flow, but it shows that his songwriting isn’t dulled in the light of fame and adds a nice touch of diversity.

Fittingly, “Heat of the Moment” references looking ahead at the peak of success. When someone asks Drake, “Who are [you] going to be when it’s all over?” he says he doesn’t want to think about it. He just wants to enjoy the ride while it lasts. At this point in his career, it’s an incredibly vulnerable thing to say, but also incredibly honest. He lifts the veil for a second and steps back from his ego to admit that he’s not sure what lies ahead, but he’s not going to waste time worrying about it.

Featured Image: Drake performs in 2011 at the Sound Academy in Toronto, Canada as part of a show with Houston rapper Bun-B. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons